To get started, just go to
http://apps.facebook.com/modfacebookapp and
install the application. Once installed, when you
log in to Facebook, you can access the
application on Facebook’s “Home” tab on the
left. Log in to your March for Babies account from
the application. Register through the application.
You must allow the application access to your
profile information in order to connect your
Facebook account with your March for Babies
account. It will ask if you want to post or “brag”
about installing the application on your wall. You
can ask your friends to join your team or make a
donation. For more details on using the
Facebook application, contact
[email protected].
“Passionate Praise” is one way to
describe the inspiring,
contemporary Christian sound of Tampa, Florida
recording artist Toni Rackard. Toni is the Praise &
Worship Leader at Jesus People Family Worship
Center and is a graduate of the University of
South Florida, with a Bachelor of Science Degree
in Business Management Information Systems.
Toni and her husband, Derrick Rackard, were
overjoyed when they discovered that they were
pregnant for the first time in 2008. Toni’s first
appointment was very exciting and everything
seemed perfect. However, on July 8th, she was
scheduled to have a more detailed ultrasound to
check the health of her baby, but sadly a few
minutes into the test, they discovered that the baby’s heart was no longer
beating. Of course the healing process took time, but having each other
and their strong faith allowed the Rackards to heal and be strong.
Two years later, the Rackards decided to start a family again in the
Spring of 2011, but just as they had decided, Toni found that she was
actually already pregnant! Today, Toni is pregnant and the baby boy is
doing wonderful! Her expected due date is May 15, 2011 and the Rachards
can’t wait to see and welcome little Derrick Jr. into the world!
Toni and her family are grateful for the March of Dimes and their
efforts to ensure that every baby is born healthy.
The March of Dimes celebrates the Rackard Family!
As a token of appreciation,
March of Dimes offers the
following incentives
for your donations.
Raise $200, receive a March for
Babies T-shirt
Raise $350, receive a $15 Gift Card
and March for Babies T-shirt
Raise $500, receive a $25 Gift Card
and March for Babies T-shirt
Raise $1,000, receive a $50 Gift
Card and March for Babies T-shirt
Raise $2,500, receive a $125 Gift
Card and March for Babies T-shirt
Raise $5,000, receive a $250 Gift
Card and March for Babies T-shirt
Raise $10,000, receive a $500 Gift
Card and March for Babies T-shirt
Raise $20,000, receive a $600 Gift
Card and March for Babies T-shirt
Online fundraising is optional,
but the average participant raises
more money online with less
effort because donors can pay
online by credit card or by PayPal.
Be sure to use offline fundraising
in combination with online as
some people prefer being
approached in person.
Choice of Kmart or Macy’s Gift Card
On the surface, Ginny Haeseler looks
like an average 8-month-old girl. She is
a happy baby who giggles and smiles
more often than she cries. But what
most people don’t see is
the four-inch vertical scar
on her chest from the
open-heart surgery she
had at 1-month-old.
Jason and Rachel
Haeseler, Ginny’s parents,
will participate in March
for Babies this year. Each
year, more than 120,000
babies are born in the
United States with a birth
defect. In Florida, 1 out of
every 28 babies born each
year has a birth defect –
appro xima tely
9,000
babies every year.
Birth defects
continue to be the leading cause of
infant death in the first year of life.
Just hours after giving birth to their
daughter, Rachel and Jason learned
that Ginny was diagnosed with
transposition of the great arteries (TGA),
a congenital heart defect in which the
aorta and pulmonary artery are
switched. She also had pulmonary
hypertension, which made breathing
difficult for the infant.
The causes of many birth defects are
unknown. That is why the March of
Dimes continues to fund essential
research to identify causes of birth
defects and ways to prevent them. We
also provide education
and outreach for such
things as the b-vitamin
folic acid, which can
reduce the risk of
certain birth defects of
the brain and spine if
taken before pregnancy
and during the first few
weeks of pregnancy
(400 micrograms per
day). But much work
remains to be done.
We are also working to
protect funding for the
Florida Birth Defects
Registry, which provides timely and
accurate public health information on
birth defects that may be used monitor
rates, investigate causes, develop
prevention strategies, detect clusters,
and make policy decisions. March of
Dimes volunteers are helping with all of
these efforts.
The Haeselers are excited to
participate in this year’s March for
Babies – they are willing to do whatever
it takes to raise awareness and funds for
stronger, healthier babies..